1
as in enacting
to put into effect through legislative or authoritative action
the city council promises to lay down new ordinances that will force dog walkers to clean up after their animals
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in declaring
to state clearly and strongly
at the risk of their popularity, the parents laid down the rules for the party and wouldn't accept any arguments
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in specifying
to give the rules about (something) clearly and exactly
the supervisor laid down the procedure for a complaint of sexual harassment
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in relinquishing
to give (something) over to the control or possession of another usually under duress
commanded the surrounded troops to lay down their weapons
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for laying down
Verb
-
Mamdani, though, had previously specifically promised to appoint only board members committed to enacting no increases during the four years of his first term.—
Josephine Stratman,
New York Daily News,
18 Feb. 2026 -
Crockett emphasized that people need to play their part in enacting change.—
Elissa Jorgensen,
Dallas Morning News,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Wills must be in writing, not oral, so recording a voice memo into your phone or making a post declaring your intentions on social media won’t count.—
Howard Cohen,
Miami Herald,
5 Feb. 2026
-
In October, the Air District lowered the threshold of fine particulate matter for declaring Spare the Air alerts from 35 to 25 micrograms per cubic meter.—
Carlos E. Castañeda,
CBS News,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Apart from specifying that the number of wolves had to exceed the state’s endangerment cutoff, legislators never defined what such a sustainable level might be.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
16 Feb. 2026
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Entire chapters specifying how nuclear material should be secured and what sorts of physical barriers should be built to protect it have been reduced to bullet points.—
Geoff Brumfiel,
NPR,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Buffalo Bills lasted seven weeks in the pole position before relinquishing the title to the Kansas City Chiefs.—
Scott Phillips,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
-
Hamas has shown no signs of relinquishing power or its weapons.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
30 Dec. 2025
Verb
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At 37 years old, Stafford led the NFL in both passing yards (4,707) and passing touchdowns (46), while recording a career-low eight interceptions.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
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Attempting to break an Eastern Washington University receiving record is like trying to set a franchise passing mark with the Patriots.—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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No judge should be above the Constitution, and no citizen should fear retaliation for asserting their rights.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Trump levied the threats against Cuba after launching a military operation capturing Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro in January and asserting control of the country’s oil exports.—
Laura Kelly,
The Hill,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The elevated take on the more conservative looks defining the season was inspired by 16th century Persian miniature paintings.—
Anika Reed,
USA Today,
18 Feb. 2026
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Six busloads of students traveled to witness a defining victory at Xavier in 1983.—
Mario DiLoreto,
Hartford Courant,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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After rendering a contemporary Native American community in specific, surreal, often hilarious detail in Reservation Dogs, Sterlin Harjo turned to noir with The Lowdown.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
13 Feb. 2026
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This method also had the practical downside of rendering my colander unusable for straining the rigatoni for my Wednesday-night pasta alla vodka.—
Alma Avalle,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
13 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Laying down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laying%20down. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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